Most impressive athletic feat in history? A 16-year-old runner just set the U18 world record in the 800m race

Sixteen-year-old schoolboy Cooper Lutkenhaus sensationally booked his spot at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo thanks to a scintillating performance belying his years at the US Athletics Trials on Sunday.

Cooper Lutkenhaus’ record-breaking run

Lutkenhaus, who attends Northwest High School in Fort Worth, clocked a stunning 1:42.27 in the 800 meters on the final day of competition, with only seasoned pro and 2019 world champion Donavan Brazier finishing ahead of him.

That time not only sealed Lutkenhaus a spot in the upcoming World Athletics Championships in September, it also obliterated the Under-18 world record, which the Texas high schooler had already broken earlier this summer.

The youngster’s latest time shaved nearly three full seconds off the previous record, placing him among the five fastest Americans in history and 17th globally.

Lutkenhaus, who doesn’t turn 17 until December 19, is set to become the youngest athlete to represent the USA at a track and field World Championships meet at the competition in Tokyo, which runs from Sept. 13-25.

The most impressive feat in athletics... and sport?

Unsurprisingly, Lutkenhaus has received a huge amount of praise for his achievement, with one onlooker making the case online for his feat being the most impressive in the history of athletics, while another views it as the best of all time in any sport.

“I have no words. This is the most impressive athletic feat in history. There are no superlatives. His performance makes high school LeBron look like nobody,” claimed performance coach Steve Magness on X.

“Think of it like this: He was in a field with 3 different world champions... He beat all but 1, who barely held him off by a tenth of a second. It’s pure insanity. Better than Jim Ryun, Alan Webb, Sydney, Allyson Felix, whoever your comparative is...and he’s a sophomore in HS!” Magness concluded.

“I say this with zero exaggeration or embellishment, this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed in sports history,” commented former Mizzou and Binghamton University athlete Andrew Sweeney. “Lutkenhaus running one of the greatest 800m races in history at just 16 yrs old out of NOWHERE… I truly cannot fathom what I just saw. In absolute shock.”

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